Apparatus for distilling hydrocarbons



April 13, 1926.

N. FQw. HAZELDINE APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING HYDROCARBONS Filed May 9, 3Sheets-Sheet l llun ilnlmibl EN Nw.

M wn QW April 13 1926. 1,580,372

N. F. w. HAZELDINE APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING HYDROGARBONS Filed May 9,1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 13 1926.

N. F. W. HAZELDINE APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING HYDROCARBONS Filed May 9, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES NORTON F. W. HAZELDINE, F

Los ANGELES, camz-cnam. f

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING HYDBOCARBONS.

Application filed lay 9 To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, NORTON F. W. HA- zELnrNn, a subject of. the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles andState of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Distilling Hydrocarbons, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to distilling apparatus adapted particularly tohandle liquid hydrocarbons and to be used to produce gasoline and otheroils from crude oil.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive andeasily operated apparatus which will effectively and economicallydistill gasoline and other oils from crude oil. The apparatus isparticularly adapted to be built 1n comparatively small units such ascan be used to yhandle crude oil directly from the wells or to be usedby individuals to produce gasoline an hydrocarbon oils for their ownindividu-.11

use.

The objects of the invention and features will be best and more fullyunderstood from P the following detailed description of a typlcalembodiment of the invention throughout which reference is had, to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the'complete apparatus;` Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail vertical sectional view of, the still proper; Fig. 3 isa plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan sectiontaken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a plan sectiontaken as indicated by line 5-f5 on Fig. 2.

In the drawings numeral 10 designates generally the still proper. It isa vertically disposed tank-like structure comprising a. lower heatingchamber 11, and two condensing chambers 12 and 13, one above the other.

The heating chamber 11 has a downwardly extending conical bottom 14leading to a drain opening controlled by a valve 15. A heating coil 1G,preferably a spirally wound pipe, is arranged in the heating chamber toheat the liquids which are supplied to it. y

The condensing chamber 12 is immediatelyabove the heating chamber 11,being separated tromthe heating' chamber only `1922. Serial N0. 559,511.

by a Hat plate partition 17. There is a central opening 18 Ain thepartition 17 and there is a nipple or riser 19 extending upwardly fromthe opening 18 into the. condensing chamber 12. The nipple 419 directs astream ot vapors from the heatingv chamber 11 into the condensingchamber .12, and prevents liquids which condense in the condensingchamber 12 andA accumulate in the bottom of the condensing chamber 12from flowing back into the heating chamber through the opening 18. Adrain pipe 20cont-rol1cd by -valve 22, is connected to the bottom of thecondensing chamber 12 and is connected with a suitable storage tank 21.

The condensing chamber 13 is immediately above the condensing chamber 12and is separated from the condensing chamber 12 b a partition y23.Partition 17 is provide with a central opening 24 and a nipple ing 24into condensing chamber 13 to dlrect vapors from chamber 12 into chamber13, and to prevent liquids in the bottom of chamber 13 from flowing outof the chamber 13 through the opening 24. A drain ipe 26, controlled byvalve 28 is connected with the bottom of the chamber 13, and isconnected with a storage tank 27. The `side walls 30 and bottom 23 ofcondensing chamber 13 are water jacketed at 31 by an inner wall or shell29. The top of densing` chamber 13 is conical and extends upwardly andcomprises an inner wall 32 and an outer wall a continuation of the waterjacket. The chambers 11, 12 and 13 are provided with temperature gages35, 36v and 37 respectively, and are provided with level gages 38, 39and 40 respectively.

In the particular setting'A disclosed in the drawings the still 10 ismounted close to a well so that crude oil being received from the wellcasing 41, whether it flows naturally from the well or is-,pumped bypumping mechanism 42, is delivered to the heating chamber 11 ofthestill. The oil isconducted fromthe well casing 41 by a pipe 43 whichconnects with ipes14'4'and 45. Pipe tends directly rom the pi 43 intothe upper part of heating cham er pipe 45 extends from the pipe agetank-or reservoir 46 supported in an ele-V vated position b 46, is,independently 33 spaced apart to form' 11, while the.

or riser 25 extends upwardly from opencon-l 44 by a pipe 48. Controlvalves 49, 50 and 51 are proridedin the pipes 44, 45 and 48respectively, so thatoil from pipe 43 can be directed into the heatingchamber of the still or can be directed. into thereservoir 46 from whichit may be allowed to flow into the heating chamber of the still, throughthe pipes 48 and 44. The oil is fed to the still through vreservoir 46when it -is desired to preheat it; for which purpose a preheater 53 isprovided in the pipe 48. rilhe preheater 53 may comprise a heating coil54 arranged around a section of the pipe 48. Heating fluid maybesupplied to the heating `coil 54 ofv the preheater and the heatingcoil 16 in the heatingr chamber 11 from any suitable source, say forinstance from a boiler 60. In `the particular arrangement illustrated inthe drawings steam from the boiler is conducted to coil by a pipe 61 andis conducted from the coil 54 ltosti-ll coil 16 by pipe 62 controlled byvalve 63. The coil 16 drains into Ia'pipe 64 which extends to a barrel65 from which the boiler 6() is fed.

In operation the apparatus is regulated so that ai suitab'le amount ofcrude oil is fed into the heating chamber 11 and so that the crude oilin the heating chamber is heated toa temperature which causes the morevolatile hydrocarbons to be ra-porized.

The oils may be preheated to such a temperature as to partially vaporizewhen pressure is released by delivery at `the end of pipe 44; and thetemperature of coil 16 may 1 be such as to cause immediate vaporizationwhen the downwardly spraying oils strike it. The heating steam may besuper-heated. Thus there may he little accumulation of liquid in chamber11 except that liquid that forms the residuum of the process.Furthermore, the pressure in chamber 11 may be as low as atmospheric orsub-atmospheric. The vapors 'formed in the heating chamber How throughthe nipple 19 into the condensing chamber 12 and are thrown up againstthe water cooled wall 23. The temperature maintained in the condensingchamber 12 is considerably less than the temperature of heating chamber11, causing the heavier parts of theyapor to condense into liquid andaccumulate in the bottom of chamber 12 tobe drawn ott" through drainpipe 20. The lighter vapors which are not condensed in the chamber 12pass into the chamber 13 through the nipple 25. The chamber 13 ismaintained at a. low temperature by circulating cooling fluid throughthe jacket 31 so that the lighter hydrocarbons condense and accumulatein the bottom or the chamber so that they 'may he drawn ott throughdrain 'pipe 26; In practice. the liquids condensed or formed in. thechanriaer 13 are comparatively cool and have a .cooling effect upon thepartition 23. Theresui. or" thin-is that the liquids condensed in achamber 13 operate to keep the chamber 12 cool.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious how the apparatus maybe regulated sothat it operates continuously and produces a lighterhydrocarbon liquid, say, for instance gasoline, in the chamber 13 and aheavier hydrocarbon liquid, say, for instance, oil, in chamber 12. Theoil from chamber 12 may be drawn off and further treated or refined asmay be desired. While the gasoline produced in the chamber 13 may bedrawn oilU and used without further treatment. The gases pass 0H'through pipe 70 and may be suitably stored.

The whole apparatus may be so constructed that a sub-atmosphericpressure is maintained in chamber 13 and this sub-atmospheric pressuremay be also communicated to chamber 12 and any rate, whether thepressure in chamber 11 is sub-atmospheric, it is at least maintainedlow; so that the immediate and free vaporization of the oils is greatlyfacilitated. Thus I obtain in chamber l1 a quick and free vaporizationat a comparatively high and uniformly maintained temperature andpressure. These vapors How upwardly with some velocity through nipple19, due to the difference in pressure between chambers l2 and 11;- thatdifference in pressure being maintained by the condensation in bothchambers 12 and 13. Thus the vapors flowing through nipple 19 passimmediately into a zone of owered pressure. These vapors are mainlythrown up against the cooled wall 23 and are there very quicklycondensed. The remaining vapors lthen pass on upwardly through nipple 25where the condensing action is repeated at a greatly lowered temperatureand also at a ksomewhat lowered pressure. The temperature maintained inchamber 13 may be normally atmospheric and even lower; so that acomplete condensation is effected.

The rapid expansive upward flow of the vapors into quick and directcontact with the very cool wall 23 is one of the features of thisprocess that causes a very high productivity. Very rapid and freecondensation is induced; and there results a very high percentageproductivity of both the heavy condensers and the lighter condensers 1nthe two condensing chambers 12 and 13.

Having described only a preferred form of my invention 1 do not wish tohmit myself to the particular details hereinabove set forth but wish toreserve to myself any changes or variations that may appear to thoseskilled -in the art or that may fall within the scope of the followingclaims.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I cia-im:

1. in an oil distiiling apparatus a, tank and a substantially horizontalpartition dalso to chamber 11. At

the outlet opening of the riser.

f through and above the bottom wall chambers, an inner shell within theupper chamber and spaced apart from the walls thereof to provide ajacket for cooling fluid, an opening in the partition, a riser extendingupwardly from saidopening and projecting through and above thebottom/wall of said inner shell, and means for drawing liquid from saidshell at a point beneath 2. In an oil distilling apparatus .a tank and asubstantially horizontal partition dividing the tank into verticallyadjacent chambers, an inner shell within the upper i' chamber and spacedapart from the side walls thereof, and spaced above said partition toprovide a jacket for cooling fluid` an opening in the partition, a riserextending upwardly from-said opening and projecting vof said innershell, and means for drawing liquid from said shell at a point beneaththe outlet opening of the riser.

3. In an oil distilling apparatus, a closed end tank, a substantiallyhorizontal partition in the tank and defining the top of a heatingchamber, means for heating the chamber, means for introducing thematerial to be distilled to said chamber; a second horizontal partitionin the tank and vertically spaced from the first partition, said secondpartition defining the top of a second chamber, a riser extendingupwardly from said first partition and into said second i chamber; althird chamber vertically defined by the top ofl the tank and said secondpartition, a shell within said third chamber and spacedJapartfrom thedefining walls thereof to form a jacket around the shell for a coolingmedium, a second riser extending upwardly from said second partition andinto said shell, said shell having a gas outlet near the top thereof,means for drawingA liquid from said shell at a point beneath the outletopening of the second riser, and means for drawing liquid from thesecond chamber at a point beneath the outlet opening of said rstmentioned riser.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 22nd 50 day of April 1922.

NORTON F. W. HAZELDINE.

